An Economic Times report published Oct. 1, 2026 said higher gold hallmarking charges in India are raising concern among industry stakeholders that some unscrupulous jewellers may use fake stamps, particularly in tier-2, tier-3 and tier-4 cities where the report said consumer awareness remains low.
The report said consumers pay hallmarking charges when they buy jewellery, while awareness among buyers that a Hallmark Unique Identification, or HUID, number can be checked in the Bureau of Indian Standards' Care app remains low. Rajesh Rokde, chairman of the All-India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council, said in the report that only about 10% of India’s 800 districts have adequate awareness of the BIS app.
Why GJC wants the old rate back
According to the Economic Times report, GJC asked consumer affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and the Bureau of Indian Standards to restore the earlier hallmarking rate of ₹45 per article from the current ₹75. The council said the latest revision represents a 66.67% increase and adds a significant compliance burden in a mandatory system.
The industry body also raised the question of whether the higher cost is matched by a corresponding improvement in consumer protection. The same report said government data cited by GJC showed recognised assaying and hallmarking centres increased to 1,577 in July 2026 from 1,220 in July 2022, while cumulative gold articles hallmarked with HUID rose to more than 650 million. In 2025-26, 132.2 million jewellery articles were hallmarked, and the council estimated the revised rate adds around ₹400 crore to the ecosystem, plus roughly ₹80 crore in GST.
What the industry says should be enforced
The Economic Times report said GJC supports stronger enforcement against fake hallmarking, unauthorized assaying and hallmarking centres, misuse of the BIS logo, and sale of jewellery without a valid HUID.
Yash Kataria, CEO of Indore-based Kataria Jewellers, said in comments quoted by the report that hallmark tampering and HUID misuse “compromise consumer faith, eroding the industry’s most valuable asset: trust.” He called for digital verification through the BIS Care app at the point of sale, tamper-proof laser etching, and strict digital chain-of-custody tracking by assaying and hallmarking centres.
Delays are part of the complaint too
GJC also said in the report that hallmarking turnaround time has increased from six hours earlier to 24 to 36 hours. The council said those delays lock up jewellers’ working capital and increase financing costs.
